I've used Mint for several years, very satisfied - it just works! I've always used Gnome (currently 13 Maya), but I'd like to go KDE, having tried Kubuntu and other KDEs. Trouble is I've got all the programs set up as I like them in Gnome, and to save tha hassle and time of reinstalling I'd like to keep my current and add KDE (obviously after backing up my data!).

Has anyone installed KDE in a Gnome distro? Did it work OK? Will it keep printer etc settings?

Thanks for advice, kc1di: I saved all my data in case and tried the synaptic>mint-meta-kde route. All went well until an error message:

E: /var/cache/apt/archives/mint-info-kde_2012.05.02_amd64.deb: trying to overwrite '/etc/linuxmint/info', which is also in package mint-info-mate 2012.05.02

and the install stopped . It hasn't affected my Gnome system at all, but it won't finish the KDE install. I don't want to rename or remove the current /etc/linuxmint/info file to allow the KDE version to install, in case it DOES wreck the Gnome system and I'm left with nothing!

I've installed a kde desktop on mint 13 Mate on my netbook. No problem. But it wasn't mint-meta-kde, it was kde-standard. I'm not not sure if that was your problem or not but I don't think I would have installed the mint kde package anyway.

On the same machine I also installed xfce over the mate edition. No problems. It wasn't the kde xfce version either.

You may have been left with the impression that you have to install the kde version to get the option of booting into different desktop shells. That isn't true.

One laptop has xubuntu with kde-standard added, and I use kde on it mostly now. I think I'm going to install kubuntu on it.

On the netbook I had 3 desktop shells including Mate, the version that came with the install. Then I installed xfce 4.8, then kde-standard. Believe it or not, kde runs at least as fast on this 1Gb netbook as Mate. So now it has mint KDE on it. But that's to simplify things. It worked before but the integration is better. I may install xfce on it as well.

Hoser Rob, thanks for that. I realised that installing mint-kde would be, effectively, the same as installing standard kde (or as in your case xfce) in that I'd get an option of which DE to boot into. I've had different DEs on the same distro before with a choice at boot, I had a lot of fun a couple of years back with Openbox, Enlightenment and one or two others! I just thought that MINT-kde would integrate better with an existing MINT Gnome system, especially after seeing so many in praise of Mint KDE. Perhaps I was putting too much faith in the branding!

I'm going to fiddle around, and perhaps if all else fails do a clean install of Mint KDE - bit reluctant, as I've built up my coice of programs, and living out in the country with 1.1mb broadband (yes, a whole 1.1!!) it'll take ages to re-download and install.

I've been trying out the different flavours of Mint the last few days as well, in preparation for a reinstall.

I had the same issue pop up with the 'mint-meta-mate' v 'mint-meta-kde' package conflict. I resolved it by simply diking 'mint-meta-mate' out of the system.I can't remember if I had to do some more clean up after that, but it works fine now.(Except for an intermittent weird black screen bug when I change desktop effects settings. Don't know if that's related...)

Green SaplingLinux Mint is a gateway distro. It can lead to experimentation with other, more "dangerous", distros. Use with caution.

As to trying out adding distro's or trying out and fear of being left without any or bootable OS you don't want to mess up.

That is where backups come in. I use redo backup easier version of clonezilla to backup my partitions. Mess them up takes a whole 20mins. to be backup and running again.

I have setup about half-a-dozen different flavors then backed those up. Can change flavors in 20mins. Which most likely would be more than that trying to fixing and tweaking things due to incompatibilities of installed multiple DE's.

I'm actually half expecting to mess the system up royally (again). That's how I learn to save it. I'll be re-arranging the physical HDDs and partitions during the reinstall, so the whole thing will be wiped when I'm done 'playing around'.

Orbmiser wrote:That is where backups come in...

I have all my data backed up on a NAS box, so I should be covered on that end.

I appreciate your concern, though. I've also heard of many who lost all their data due to not having backups.Their wails of anguish always ring in my ears when I start a project like this, to remind me to update the backups.<.< >.>

Green SaplingLinux Mint is a gateway distro. It can lead to experimentation with other, more "dangerous", distros. Use with caution.

"Their wails of anguish always ring in my ears when I start a project like this, to remind me to update the backups."

Yep I made a big chunk of my income off of the "Can't Be Bothered It's Boring to do backups" crowd on windows machines. The general repair quote including recovering personal files if possible ran them 2x what it should of. As was labor intensive to recover and transfer those files for them and not always successful.

Sometimes couldn't due to hardrive failure. And they always Wailed "But..But I NEED Those Files!" "There Important,critical to running my business,finishing my thesis,etc...etc.." And I always asked them if they were That Important! Why didn't you Back Them UP!? And generally got all defensive about their failing to do just that.

Still seeing those bad habits here when new to linux bringing their bad habits here and borking their system and complaining they have no OS to boot to. Ohhh Well Live & Learn I guess..

20 minutes? Good grief, my restores take two minutes flat, start to finish, but then I have a bank of five Samsung 840 Pro SSDs in hardware RAID 10

Yep no SSD here yet. Just old 160gb IDE drive.

Works for me. Just a thought.

It's a good idea. Clonezilla is quite a bit ugly but it works brilliantly and save hours of reconfiguration.

Yep I also especially for the new to linux always recommend Redo Backup as a lot easier to use. And less doing something that you didn't intend with Clonezilla a lot more options and powerful but also easier for someone new to partitioning to mess it up..

Preaching to the converted, I back up religiously! I tend to back up data only, then if I do have to reinstall I'll do a clean install and get the latest versions of programs, and only the ones I need - good incentive for a cleanup.

Anyway, KDE installed perfectly even after the Mint KDE glitch; I even have a Mint login screen ! Only program to give a query was Google Earth, the launcher didn't work, then after a couple of days it just started and it's been fine since!

Orbmiser wrote:As to trying out adding distro's or trying out and fear of being left without any or bootable OS you don't want to mess up.

That is where backups come in. I use redo backup easier version of clonezilla to backup my partitions. Mess them up takes a whole 20mins. to be backup and running again.

I have setup about half-a-dozen different flavors then backed those up. Can change flavors in 20mins. Which most likely would be more than that trying to fixing and tweaking things due to incompatibilities of installed multiple DE's.

Works for me. Just a thought..

I agree 100% ... one of the reasons I like linux so much better than windows is that I prefer to treat my data backups as separate from system and programs, and windows just doesn't like you doing that. I'm actually pretty good at keeping my data backed up. I wish I was that good at housework.

I'm also not really crazy about multiple desktop shells either, but it didn't seem any worse than setting up more boot partitions. I don't totally trust dual boot setups.

Which is why I installed mint 13 kde single boot over dual boot win plus mint 13 mate with xfce and kde shells also installed on my netbook. It's much better, and I really don't need more than one machine with windows on it. Especially since the only thing I'm likely to use it for is ripping my dvd's ...